The Seven Sages of Sukkot

For many of us, Sukkot is considered a relatively minor "fall harvest festival" in the Jewish calendar. We are vaguely aware of Sukkot "booths" representing the temporary shelters used by the Israelites during their wanderings in the Sinai Desert and of the ancient tabernacle that housed the Ark of the Covenant prior to the building of Solomon's temple. But few of us are aware of the mystical aspects of this holiday that attempts to spiritually reunite our consciousness with the Divine through ritualized drama.

Sukkot lasts for seven days in Israel and eight in the Diaspora. Kabbalists connect each of these seven days with the seven lower Sefirot (Chesed to Malkhut) that represent the closest aspects of God to humanity and the physical world. Each of the Sefirah has its own characteristics (mercy, justice/judgement, etc.) that we can meditate upon on its appropriate day. It's like a spiritual ladder of conscious ascent towards reuniting with the spirit of God.

Each of the sefirah also has a biblical sage associated with it who best represents its unique characteristics. The Zohar suggests a ritual that has become commonly accepted by traditional circles within Judaism.

"When you enter the sukkah, you ought to openly invite the divine saints to join you because they are your glory. They come in spiritual form to join us on all sides."

The practice is to invite each of these seven sages on their day of Sukkot into your sukkah booth.

Day 1 is Abraham connected with the sefirah of Chesed and divine mercy.

Day 2 is Isaac connected with the sefirah of Din and divine judgement.

Day 3 is Jacob connected with the sefirah of Tiferet and divine harmony/enlightenment.

Day 4 is Moses connected with the sefirah of Netzach and divine triumph.

Day 5 is Aaron connected with the sefirah of Hod and divine majesty.

Day 6 is Joseph connected with the sefirah of Yesod and divine foundation.

Day 7 is David connected with the sefirah of Malkhut and the Shekinah, or nurturing aspect of God.

On succeeding days, we invite each of these sages into our sukkot and many adorn their "booths" with drawings and pictures of them. The idea is to think about how each of these saintly figures represent their associated aspect of God's personality. Through this meditative drama, we can ascend the spiritual ladder towards complete absorption within the Divine Presence ourselves. We realize and come to understand that we are aspects of God ourselves.

As part of this dramatized meditation, I'd suggest the following thoughts, or questions.

1) What does the sage associated with that day of Sukkot represent to you?

2) How can you best exemplify those traits in your own life and how can they help you to grow spiritually closer to God?

3) What would it be like to meet and speak to that sage in person? What would you say and how would you feel? What could you learn from them? Imagine this meeting happening at that moment.

4) What role do you play within creation and as an aspect of the Divine Presence?

5) What blessings should you be grateful for and how can you bless this world and others in your daily activities?

Most scholars believe that Sukkot served as the inspiration of the Puritans for the first Thanksgiving. The recognized the divine blessings in their own lives. We should find similar inspiration. But now we know that the holiday is also a meditative drama of a much more intimate relationship with God's divine presence.

For further study, my source for this ritual is "The Mystic Quest" by David S. Ariel.

Until next time....

Shmuel